1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a disc drive apparatus which rotates a disc recording medium so as to reproduce a signal, and particularly to a disc drive apparatus which transfers and mounts a disc recording medium to mounting means so as to rotate. More particularly, the present invention relates to a mechanism which transfers a disc recording medium from a supply position thereof to a position for mounting it to rotating means thereof (particularly a spindle motor) at a time of rotating the disc recording medium.
In this case, the disc recording medium indicates a concentric disc-shaped medium having a central hole, and it is exemplified by a MO, PD, CD, CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-ROM, DVD-RAM and the like as well as an old EP recording disc. The disc is simply used for totally calling them. Further, as far as it is not particularly limited, the disc indicates a bare disc which is not received in a jacket.
2. Description of the Related Art
A description will be given of a conventional disc mounting method. A mechanism for transferring the disc means a mechanism which supplies the disc to the disc drive apparatus and transfers the disc from the supply position to a position for mounting to the rotating means. The transfer system is exemplified by the following three kinds which have been conventionally employed. Firstly, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 6-290529, there is a structure which takes out a bare disc from a stock area for the disc so as to transfer, which is generally called as a changer.
Secondly, there is a structure in which an operator himself or herself mounts and fixes the disc to the rotating means so as to transfer to the position for mounting to the rotating means. This structure is called as a tray system, and corresponds to a structure in which the operator mounts the disc to a turn table and a whole of the rotating means including the turn table is transferred to the position of rotation, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 7-254199.
Thirdly, there is a structure which receives a disc in a jacket, transfers the jacket to the rotating means and thereafter fixes and rotates the disc within the jacket. For example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 2585176, the structure is made such as to be mounted to a reproducing apparatus by a transfer operation by means of the transfer mechanism and a vertical movement by means of a motor.
Each of the transfer systems mentioned above requires a vertically moving mechanism for moving the fixing mechanism in a direction of transferring the disc and a vertical direction, so that it required a complex moving mechanism and a space for the movement. Further, it needs the moving mechanism and the space for the movement, because the operator moves the rotating means for pulling out it to an easily operable position for the purpose that the operator mounts the disc to the rotating means.
However, a computer apparatus is advanced to be made compact and light, and in a disc drive apparatus used for an external recording apparatus for the computer apparatus, a compact size, a light weight and a thin size are required. Accordingly, the pulling-out and moving mechanism and the vertical moving mechanism are obstacle for making the apparatus to thin type, so that there is a limit to making the thin type apparatus. Further, in order to provide a more comfortable computer operability, there is required a disc drive apparatus in which it is not necessary for the operator to mount and operate.
An object of the present invention is to provide a disc drive apparatus having a structure suitable for making the apparatus compact, light and thin, in which a pulling-out and moving mechanism and a vertical moving mechanism are not required, whereby a whole of the apparatus is made thin.
In addition, another object of the present invention is to provide a disc drive apparatus in which an outer shape of the disc drive apparatus is made compact to the substantially same shape as a regular square which is circumscribed with an outer periphery of a disc, thereby being constructed in a thin shape and capable of being mounted to a note-book type computer.
Further, the other object of the present invention is to provide a disc drive apparatus which can automatically mount and discharge a disc and requires no mounting operation by an operator.
Still further, the other object of the present invention is to provide a disc drive apparatus which can prevent a disc from being erroneously inserted.
The present invention is made for solving the problems mentioned above, and in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a disc drive apparatus comprising:
pick-up means which mounts, fixes and release a disc and rotates the disc so as to reproduce a signal from the disc; and
disc transfer means which transfers the disc supplied by an operator to the pick-up means in a direction of a disc surface,
wherein the disc transfer means has medium driving means which is formed in a thin flat shape and swings in the direction of the disc surface so as to transfer and drive the disc, and synchronous driving means which drives the medium driving means, and positioning means which is brought into contact with an outer peripheral edge of the disc.
The structure is made such as to transfer the disc in the direction of the disc surface by the disc transfer means constructed in the manner mentioned above and to position the disc by the positioning means.
Accordingly, in accordance with the disc drive apparatus of the present invention, since the disc is only transferred from the disc supply position to the position for rotating the disc along the disc surface, the pulling-out and moving mechanism and the vertical moving mechanism are not required and it is possible to make the apparatus thin and compact. Further, since the transferred disc is previously aligned with the pick-up means by the positioning means when the pick-up means mounts, fixes and releases the disc, the pick-up means can securely mount, fix and release the disc, so that a note-book type personal computer employing the disc drive apparatus in accordance with the present invention can be continuously used without being limited in a used aspect (for example, an incline is inhibited or the like).
Further, since it is not necessary for the operator to mount, fix and release the disc by himself or herself, it is possible to obtain the disc drive apparatus having a more comfortable operability.
Then, the structure is made such that a thickness of a whole of the apparatus is set to a level equal to or less than 12.7 mm due to the disc transfer means constituted by the guiding means, the medium driving means and the synchronous driving means.
In addition, since the medium driving means is driven by the synchronous driving means which is formed so as to have a diameter equal to or less than an outer diameter of the disc and formed in a thin disc shape, it is possible to make an outer shape of the disc drive apparatus compact to a level substantially equivalent to a regular square which is circumscribed with an outer periphery of the disc, so that it is possible to provide a compact disc drive apparatus which can be also mounted to a note-book type computer.
Further, there can be provided a disc drive apparatus having supply port closing means which prevents the disc from being supplied, thereby preventing the discs from being doubly inserted.